Rudy Can't Fail #19

Jess sighed as he washed the potatoes for dinner. "So Lorelai got a dog, and named it Paul Anka…and Nadia got a cat…and named it Ms. Kitty Fantastico."

Luke blinked as he chopped up other vegetables. "Ms. Kitty…what?"

"I really don't know," Jess shrugged. "So how are you?"

"I'm…busy."

"Huh. Descriptive."

"Well, we're remodeling Lorelai's house, which, your step-father is making a mess of, by the way."

Jess rolled his eyes. "Big surprise. We're talking about TJ here."

"You mean AJ," Luke corrected.

"Huh?"

"Don't ask." Luke sighed. "And I told Rory that Lorelai and I are engaged."

Jess stopped washing the potatoes. "You told Rory."

"Yup."

"You."

"Yes."

"You told Rory?"

"I told Rory."

"Why the hell did you tell Rory?" Jess asked, obviously confused.

"Because Lorelai sure as hell wasn't gonna do it," Luke replied. "She's really mad at her."

Jess shook his head. "I guess so…so they're really just not speaking."

"Not at all."

"Jeez." Jess blinked. "Wait…we need to backtrack. You hate dogs."

"I do hate dogs."

"But…Lorelai got a dog, and…you hate dogs," Jess repeats.

"Yup."

"But you're remodeling Lorelai's house so you can live there," Jess argued. "And the dog is gonna live there too…and you hate dogs."

"Wash the potatoes, Jess."

ooooooo

Lorelai petted the cat warily. "Well…it hasn't bit me yet…"

Nadia smirked. "She doesn't bite," she replied, picking up the fuzzy black and white feline. "She's cute." She cuddled the animal. "So cute. So very, very cute."

Lorelai snickered. "And how does Jess feel about Ms. Kitty Fantastico?"

Nadia grinned. "They like each other."

Lorelai blinked. "Wait…Jess enjoys a cute and cuddly being?...well…he liked Rory…and he likes you…so I guess that makes some sense…some…not much, but some…"

"Oh, he's not so evil," Nadia smirked, setting Ms. Kitty down and letting her roam on the couch. "Speaking of, how is Rory?"

Lorelai shrugged. "Fine."

"She working this summer?"

"Something like that," Lorelai muttered.

Nadia nodded. "Well, good." She smiled. "Maybe we can get her up here for dinner one night or something."

Lorelai started to tear up. "I don't think so."

"Oh…" Nadia frowned. "What's wrong?"

Lorelai sniffled. "I'm sorry. Things are really rough with Rory right now…we're not speaking."

"Oh, I'm so sorry," Nadia replied, putting a hand on her arm. "That's awful."

Lorelai wiped tears away. "It is. It's really awful. I really miss her. We keep fighting. I didn't even bother to tell her that Luke and I were engaged…"

Nadia nodded understandingly. "Well, if you're fighting, it stands to reason that pleasant communication would be cut off…"

"But she expected me to tell her," Lorelai replied, getting more upset. "I tell her everything. And she doesn't tell me anything anymore…because she's not my problem anymore. She wanted to live with her grandparents, so that's what she's doing. And I hate it. I tried so hard to keep her away from them, and make sure that she stayed level-headed, and down to earth, which is something that they have never been, and it blew up in my face. They live in a vapid vacuous world, that's narrow-minded and blind to everything else, and everyone else, and I never wanted her to be part of that. I never wanted her to be so selfish, and now she is, and I don't know what to do."

Nadia bit her lip, and looked to the kitchen doorway, where Luke and Jess were standing. Ms. Kitty Fantastico settled in Lorelai's lap as she cried, and Luke came over to sit next to her. Jess stayed where he was, watching awkwardly, his fingers fiddling with the cell phone in his pocket.

Nadia nodded to him, and he turned around and walked out of the kitchen and into the bedroom, closing the door.

He sighed and took out his cell phone, dialing a number quickly.

"Hello?"

"What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Jess?"

"You steal a yacht, you drop out of school, you move in with your grandparents, and you treat your mother like dirt!"

"That's not how it is!" Rory cried.

"Then how is it, Rory?" Jess snapped. "Let's here it. Tell me a story. How is it?"

"It's…it's more complicated than that! You wouldn't understand!"

"Why? Because you're living with the Vanderbilt's now!" Jess cried. "Come on, Rory. Get your head out of your ass!"

"I'm hanging up now!"

"Won't change the fact that your head is stuck where the sun don't shine."

With that, he received a dial-tone as a response. He sighed and threw the cell phone on his bed.